The Mystery of Suffering in the Wake of Tragedy

I cannot remember who it was, but an Orthodox elder once said, "Those who suffer because of their sins receive healing and forgiveness, while those who suffer unjustly become partakers in Christ's sufferings."

Many so-called Christians want to label every disaster as a divine punishment. This simplistic way of thinking, however, has ended up distorting the true teaching about God and His relationship with humanity. Death and suffering of any kind are merely consequences of sins. When Scripture speaks of God's punishment, it means that God allows us to taste the consequences of our actions. This punishment, it is important to note, is given in hope that we will recognize our weakness and inability to live without God and return to Him in repentance. God's chief desire, expressed most poignantly in the Incarnation, is a relationship of love and communion with each human being. Everything that Jesus Christ the God-man endured and accomplished--His Incarnation, His childhood, His teaching, the miracles and healings, His forgiving the sins of the woman caught in adultery and the paralytic, the fasting in the wilderness and His temptation, His Baptism, the hatred of the Jewish elders, the little faith of His disciples, His betrayal by a friend, His rejection by His own people, the Crucifixion on Golgotha, His forgiveness of those who crucified Him, etc.--was meant for each one of us, to draw us to Himself. Likewise, as the saints are immitators of Christ, they seek by their words, miracles, and hardships endured to draw individuals to God.

Thus all suffering, even the most senseless, is blessed because through it we can draw nearer to God. This happens because pain removes the barriers we have placed between ourselves and God. It humbles us so that we can turn to God and realize how near He is, how much love He has for us. No one who endures pain and agony in this life patiently and with hope in God will be without consolation. Christ our God Himself, after all, became a human being in order to suffer with us, in order know suffering and death and thereby take away our sins. This is a mystery, a sacrament, for now each pain we endure, we endure with Christ.

So, let the tongues of unbelievers who question God's goodness each time a tragedy happens be silent. And let those who love Christ and hope in Him take courage. Because of the Cross, suffering is no longer tragic, but redemptive. The brilliant Resurrection of Christ already shines upon us from the dawn of eternity. Let us, then, forget grief and despair and remember God Who has prepared glorious and indescribable things for those who love Him. And let us endure, putting hope in God and waiting on Him, for all those who endure to the end will be saved. Amen.

Mozarabic Hymn for St. Augustine

Lux Deus Christe, pietas redundans,
Qui tuum vatem haerese reductum
Rite Augustinum amans alumnum
Efficis aptum;

Hujus obtentu dolum hinc remove,
Patriam serva, populos guberna;
Omnis lis absit, affluat redemptis
Gratia pacis.

Charitas efflet copulam recisis:
Sit procul ira, abeat ruina:
Clades abscedant, fames, atque languor,
Noxia quaeque.

Clerus doctrina rutilet corusca:
Pontifex celsum apicem retentet
Labe abstersa, operibusque almis
Post placitura.

Laus tibi insultet jubilo perenni,
Trinitas simplex, Deitasque una,
Cuncta qui condens, opifex in aethere,
Crederis auctor.
Amen.

If anyone can translate this into English or knows of an English translation, let me know. Hopefully something in the same meter. The Latin text goes very well to the tune of the Sarum festal melody for "Nocte Surgentes" (11.11.11.5), but in Mozarabic chant it would be completely different. I would guess that, like all other liturgical rites of the Church (Coptic and possibly Ethiopian excepted) the Mozarabic rite has eight tones/modes. I don't know what those sound like specifically or what tone this hymn would be in. If anyone has any information on this, I'd love to read it.

Blessed Feast of Blessed Augustine!

St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, was born at Tagaste in North Africa (modern Tunisia) in A.D. 354. He was the son of St. Monica (August 27) and a pagan father, Patricius, who later was converted through the good counsel and example of his wife. As a young man, St. Augustine was very bright. The temptations of the world, however, led him away from the Christian upbringing of his boyhood. He traded the Orthodox faith for the teaching of heretics and corrupted his soul and body through debauchery and impurity. St. Monica's love and concern for her son led her to spend hours in tearful, whole-hearted prayer to God that he might repent. The grace of God, the love of his mother, and the teaching of St. Ambrose of Milan (December 7) brought Blessed Augustine to a life of repentance, purity, and Orthodox faith. He was baptized by St. Ambrose and then consecrated Bishop of Hippo, going on to become a Universal Teacher and Father of the Church. He was a bishop for 36 years and wrote many books, becoming perhaps the most prolific of the Fathers. He is especially known and loved for his "Confessions," an autobiography of his early years and conversion. He also was a defender of the Orthodox Faith, most notably against the heresy of Pelagianism which denied the active role of God's grace in human salvation. This most blessed teacher and friend of God died in A.D. 430. May his blessing be with us all and may he pray that all of us enter the kingdom of God. Amen.

Collect for Blessed Augustine of Hippo
"O almighty God, hearken to our supplications, and by the intercession of blessed Augustine, Thy Confessor and Bishop, graciously grant the effect of Thy wonted mercy to those who hope in Thy lovingkindness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God unto the ages of ages. Amen" [from "The Monastic Diurnal."]

A Prayer to St. Augustine of Africa
"O noblest of the teachers of the Church of God, and mightiest pillar of faith, and reverend light of the world, and wondrous pattern of virtue, Augustine, commend to Christ God in my behalf the supplications which I now offer to thee, and commending them, defend me at all times with Thy fatherly tenderness. By thy holy intercession, confirm me in good deeds; protect me from every enemy; make me steadfast in faith; strengthen me in hope, edify me in holy charity. By thine intercession, drive far from me all which is evil, and add to me that which is expedient for me. And after my flesh's passing, commend my spirit unto God, that through thee, O holiest Confessor, I may attain to eternal life. Amen."
[from "Orthodox Prayers of Old England."]

For those wishing to read more about Blessed Augustine, I suggest the book "Augustine and His World," by Andrew Knowles and Pachomios Penkett. It is short and full of color illustrations and photoraphs, explaining not only St. Augustine's life, but also the context of his life--Roman North Africa, Pelagianism, curch history, local economy, etc.

St. Augustine on Spiritual Struggle
"Sometimes You cause me to enter into an extraordinary depth of feeling marked by a strange sweetness. If it were brought to perfection in me, it would be an experience quite beyond anything in this life. But I fall back into my usual ways under my miserable burdens. I am reabsorbed by my habitual practices. I am held in their grip. I weep profusely, but still I am held. Such is the strength of the burden of habit. Here I have the power to be, but do not wish it. There I wish to be, but lack the power. On both grounds I am in misery." [Confessions 10.40.65]

St. Augustine on Christ's Incarnation
"Man's maker was made man that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother's breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die." [Sermons 191.1]

St. Augustine on Charity
"Those who have need of others must not be abandoned by those whom they need." [Letters 228.2]

A very blessed feast to all!

August 27: Western Orthodox Saints

Agilo
+ 957. Monk of St Aper in Toul in France. He was invited to restore monastic discipline at Sithin (Saint Bertin).
Caesarius of Arles
470-543. Born in Châlon-sur-Saône in France, he became a monk at Lérins when young and then Bishop of Arles. He presided at several Councils and founded a convent afterwards called after him at Arles, where his sister St Caesaria became abbess. He was zealous for decorum in liturgy and excelled as a preacher. His homilies still exist. During the distress caused by the siege of Arles in 508, he sold the treasures of his church to help the poor.
Decuman (Dagan)
+ 706. Born in Wales, he lived as a hermit at what is now St Decumans in Somerset in England, where he was martyred.
Ebbo
+ 740. Born in Tonnerre, he was a monk at Saint-Pierre-le-Vif in Sens in France. He became Bishop of Sens which he saved in 725 when it was besieged by the Saracens.
Etherius (Alermius)
+ 602. Bishop of Lyons in France.
Euthalia
A virgin-martyr in Leontini in Sicily.
Gebhard
+ 995. Bishop of Constance in Germany (979-995). In 983 he founded the monastery of Petershausen near Constance where he was buried.
John
+ 813. Bishop of Pavia in Lombardy in the north of Italy 801-813.
Licerius (Lizier)
+ c 548. Born in Spain, probably in Lérida (Ilerda), he went to France and in 506 became Bishop of Couserans.
Malrubius
+ c 1040. An hermit in Merns in Kincardineshire in Scotland, martyred by Norwegian invaders.
Monica
332-387. Born in Carthage in North Africa of Christian parents, she married a pagan and had three children. Through her patience and gentleness she converted her husband and through her prayers and tears her wayward son, who became Blessed Augustine of Hippo. She reposed in Ostia near Rome and her relics are preserved in Rome.
Narnus
First Bishop of Bergamo in Italy.
Rufus and Carpophorus (Carpone)
+ 295. Martyrs in Capua under Diocletian. Rufus was a deacon.
Rufus of Capua
Bishop of Capua and disciple of St Apollinaris of Ravenna.
Syagrius (Siacre)
+ 600. Bishop of Autun in France c 560-600.

It is time to repent, make haste. Help me, O my Savior!

A CANON OF REPENTANCE
Composed by Elder Hieroschemamonk Sampson (An English convert in Russia) in 1965

It is time to repent, make haste. Help me, O my Saviour!

Ode I
Wretched, I have been wounded by my sins and passions, and seeing me prostrate, the enemy maketh glad. O Thou Who givest life and raisest the dead, save me!

See my infirmity, see the grievous deformity of my soul and hear my voice, O Most Merciful Christ, and change my formlessness into beauty.

I have wasted the riches that Christ gave me in evil living, and become naked, clothed in the deeds of dishonour, therefore I cry unto Thee: Adorn me in my first, Divine raiment, touching me with grace and tender mercy.

I have been filled with many bitter falls into sin, O compassionate and longsuffering Lord: Have compassion for me who standeth condemned and turn me not away from Thy face.

O Christ, Thou didst justify the publican who sighed in repentance, and I have become like unto him, I beat my breast and call unto Thee: Cleanse me, O Thou Who alone art Compassionate and Most Merciful.

I have fallen into an abyss of grievous sins and a tempest of passions, I call out unto Thee, O my Saviour Christ, raise me up by Thy mighty arm and save me.

I am vanquished by bodily passions and, though granted words to speak, am become wordless: O Word of God, Who by a word saved the harlot, save me a wretch, that I may bless and sing of Thy goodness.

As Thou, O Righteous Judge, makest ready to come to judge mankind, in which dread hour I shall be condemned, send me not into the fire of gehenna, but spare me, spare me and save me!

Behold, it is time to repent, behold the day: Make my deeds to be deeds of light, flee from the darkness of the passions, drive away the sleep of evil despondency, that thou (Name) mayest be a partaker of the Divine Light.

Ode III
A thousand times, O Saviour, I have promised to repent, but my soul hath no feeling and I fall into transgessions: O Saviour, have compassion for my infirmity.

O Jesus my Saviour, in the dread day appear not unto me who am in despair: But before the end turn me unto Thee, and deliver me from bitter torment.

I have befouled my hands and my feet, my lips and my eyes, and made myself to do evil, and though depending on Thy longsuffering, I have turned Thy compassion into wrath: But looking upon me, have compassion, O my Saviour.

In folly I join sin unto sin, and I have no fear of my death: Woe is me, how will I appear unto Thee, O my Saviour!

Like unto the Canaanite woman of old, I call unto Thee, O Saviour: O Son of God, have mercy on me and show compassion. My soul suffereth in grievous sins and is not ready to come to its senses.

I have cast off Thy Laws and yielded to lusts without reason, doing that which is unbecoming, for I have busied myself in my folly, like no other man on earth: Leave me not to perish, O Saviour, for the sake of Thy love for mankind.

I was conceived in iniquity like David, and I weep like the harlot, and like a greatly troublesome servant, I have troubled Thee, O God Who alone art Good: Leave me not to perish, O Saviour, for the sake of Thy love for mankind.

Thou, O good Shepherd, O Word, convert and save my wretched soul that wandereth on the hills of transgression: That the cunning enemy may not consume me unto the end.

O how dread is Thy judgement-seat, where I await to be judged, O Christ, and I feel no fear at all, passing all my time in ways unbecoming! But convert me who hath sinned, O Only Creator, as Thou didst convert Mannaseh.

Stop the streams of my countless evil deeds, give unto me streams of tears to wash away the foulness, and save me by Thy mercy, O Thou Who didst save the harlot who repented from her soul.

Ode IV
Of old Mannaseh repented with all his soul, and he was saved bound from amidst his bonds, for he cried out to the Only Lord: For Him, O (Name), be zealous and thou wilt be saved.

Senselessly I have cast off the Law of God and stand to be condemned, and I know not what I do, O Most Righteous Judge. Have compassion and save me by Thy mercy.

O Physician of the sick, heal the passions of my heart by Thy mercy, covering it with the plaster of repentance, Divine healing, that I may truly glorify Thee, O my Saviour.

Sprinkling me with my repentance, cleanse me from the foulness of my passions, that I may appear clean unto Thee, when Thou comest to judge all by Thy righteous judgement.

The wounds of my thrice-wretched soul have become putrid, O Saviour. Having healed me, O Healer of the sick and Giver of good things, save me, for Thy great mercy's sake.

I groan and abide in evil. I weep, but tremble not before the Judge, for I have lost all feeling. O Word of God, have compassion for me and save me by Thy gracious judgements.

I have soiled myself with my lustful eyes and befouled myself with the touch of intemperance, and I have become abominable before Thee, O Jesus. But like the prodigal, accept me.

O Thou of many mercies, vouchsafe that I may cross over to the holy land, where dwell the meek, with repentance throughly wash my earthly self and my sins, O Thou Who wast born of the Virgin without sin.

Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the time of cleansing. Turn and desire other things, O (Name), bring forth the fruit of repentance, that the dread axe of death may not find thee barren, and cutting thee down as the fig-tree of old, may not send thee into the everlasting fire.

Ode V
O Lord, I ever join sins unto sins, a prodigal, I feel no fear of Thee, O Lord: Therefore save me before the end and have compassion for me.

Behold, it is time, O my soul, arise from the evils that thou hast done, and with fear cry out to the Lord and Deliverer: Open unto me the doors of repentance, O my Saviour!

I was bared of virtues and clothed in evil, and behold, I am filled with shame, O Jesus Who lovest mankind, make me bright with raiment divine.

All the days I have been darkened with illusions and the despondency of this passing and perishable life, O Jesus, show compassion and direct my life towards the light of repentance.

Wretched, I have weighed down my soul with the slumber of carelessness, and am cast down in the sleep of sin, raise me up to the light of repentance, O Lord, and by Thy mercy save me.

O merciful Christ, have compassion for me, vouchsafe that I may groan like the publican of old and like the harlot who cried out with ardour; that I too may wash away the darkness of my many transgressions.

Like repentant Manasseh of old, save me, and have compassion for me like the harlot who wept, and the thief who was justified by a word; O my Saviour, wash me from the darkness of my passions, I have sinned many times and grievously, accept me, O Saviour, as I cry out: Blessed is the God of our fathers.

Like the harlot, in thought I cling unto Thy feet and wash them with my tears, O Word: O my Saviour, wash me from the darkness of my passions, and now proclaim even unto me, Thy faith hath saved thee, that I may sing of Thy mercy beyond measure.

Ode VI
When thy deeds, O (Name), are revealed unto the angelic hosts standing before the Judge, what answer wilt thou find for thy shame, if thou dost not cry out before the end and weep: I have sinned, O Gracious Lord, have mercy on me!

I am always promising to repent unto Thee, O God; sinning again, what will become of me, how will I appear, when Thou judgest the earth!

I have not cared for Thy words of enlightenment, O Lord, I have done dark deeds, and I fear Thy Dread Judgement-Seat there.

Because of my deeds there is no salvation for me, wretched, in much I have sinned on earth, and I shall tremble at Thy Dread Judgement-Seat, when Thou, O God, comest to condemn the transgressor of Thy commandments.

How foolish I have been, how dark I am become, doing evil deeds! How I have not understood the fear of Thee, O Christ, I have gone down to the earth and become like the dumb beasts of the field. But convert me, O God of all!

Forgive my iniquities and unrighteousness, my countless transgressions, O Christ, and deliver me from the torments to come, for the sake of the multitude of Thy compassions, O God.

Filled with evils and every lie and lust, the serpent stole me away with cunning and craft. But sighing, I call: O Word, cast me not away who am condemned and foolish in my life.

May I magnify Thy longsuffering, O Jesus my Saviour: Show me Thy longsuffering again and cut me not down like the barren fig-tree, that I may bring unto Thee the fruits of repentance.

Ode VII
O my Deliverer, O Jesus, as Thou didst deliver the harlot who of old truly repented of many transgressions, I pray unto Thee: Deliver me also from my countless sins, for Thou art Most Merciful.

Look upon me with Thy Merciful eye, when I come before Thee and am judged, O Lord, Who Alone art easily entreated.

Give unto me streams of tears to dry up the wellsprings of my passions and wash away the darkness of every sin, extinguishing the everlasting and inextinguishable fire of gehenna, O Thou Compassionate and Most Merciful.

Behold, I am Thy slothful servant who hid Thy talent and wasted himself in the evil deeds of the passions: But send me not into the fire.

I was Thy son by grace, O Compassionate Christ, I was enslaved to the enemy and took myself afar off from Thee, living as a prodigal: Therefore convert me and save me.

Show me not the rejoicing of the demons in the day of dread, O Christ Jesus, that then I may not hear the voice sending me into the fire of gehenna.

O Compassionate One, heal the unhealable passions of my heart, grant me to cut off my transgressions, make light my heavy burden, that with tenderness of heart I may ever glorify Thee, the Eternal God of our fathers.

Goodness is to end for me: I pray Thee, make an end to my evil deeds, though I have no zeal, for my heart is hardened. Show compassion and have mercy on me, O Word of God!

O Jesus my Saviour, Who lovest mankind, Who alone knowest my infirmity in which I am clothed, for Thy mercy's sake, come and cleanse me thereof: And so cleanse the foul and wicked impurity and putrid wounds of my evils and save me.

Ode VIII
I constantly sin and have no fear of Thee, O Christ, Who awaitest my repentance in longsuffering: Give unto me the thought of turning to Thee and disdain me not, for Thou art Good.

Thou Who overlookest the sins of men for the sake of Thy great love for mankind, O Christ, overlook my many evils, my Only Saviour, that I may glorify Thy great Goodness.

Send down unto me streams of tears, O Lord and Word of God: That I may wash away the darkness of my many transgressions.

O Word, deliver me from Thy righteous wrath, when Thou judgest the earth, and when cleansed from my many transgressions through repentance, show me the temple of Thy Grace, O Only Maker of all.

I have been shown to be a prodigal, living in foulness on earth and bowing down before the pursuit of the passions: Turn me unto Thee, O Christ my God, and save me, for Thou lovest mankind.

I have fallen into the passion of dishonour, I have become like the beasts of the field, I have been darkened, I do not see Thy longsuffering waiting, O my Saviour. Grant me the time to turn unto Thee and save me.

I have ended my life in sloth, doing that which it is not fitting to do, and behold, now I have drawn closer to the gates of hell, I come not to my senses, I have no fear: Disdain me not, O Christ, Who Alone art Good.

Now the Bridegroom is at the doors, make bright with light, pouring on the oil of mercy and every good deed. Before the door closeth, with Christ make haste to enter into unspeakable joy.

Like the Canaanite woman I call unto Thee: Have mercy on me, as of old on her who had nothing, correct me, O Jesus my Saviour, while I have time to repent and pray.

Ode IX
Fill my heart with tender mercy, O Christ, that in repentance I may enter into Thy habitations and in confession pray unto Thee, Who dost absolve me from my transgressions.

Washing away the wicked foulness of my heart, vouchsafe that on the day of dread I may appear spotless before Thee, O Christ my Saviour, for Thou art Most Good.

O Lord, Thou Thyself knowest my hidden and unrevealed secrets, for I have transgressed before Thee mightily: Have compassion for me through Thy great compassion, O Word of God, for Thou art Merciful, and give unto me the cleansing time of repentance.

Thou Who at a command didst cleanse the harlot and the lepers, O Maker of all, cleanse my humble soul of foul sin, and I pray Thee, O Lord, make me fair with shining raiment.

Absolving me from the bonds of many transgressions, O Christ God, direct me to walk without hindrance in Thy path, that renouncing the flesh, and setting me in the resting-places of the saints, I may glorify Thee.

Like the publican I sigh, like the harlot I weep, like Peter I call out, I am sunk in transgressions, O Christ, give me a hand of help and save me.

A fool, I have exalted myself like the pharisee of old, and have fallen a grievous fall, and seeing me, the devil maketh glad. O Word of God, disdain me not!

I have befouled my hands in all manner of evil deeds, how wilt thou raise them aloft when thou speakest unto God? I have made my footsteps unbecoming by walking in shameful deeds. But make haste to walk in the paths of salvation with repentance.

As Thou didst deliver from the torments of hell the good thief who cried out, as Thou didst have compassion for the harlot who wept, like Peter the great disciple and David the Prophet, even on me have mercy, O Saviour, for I am in despair.

Minor Prophets, Major Wisdom

Although the fig-tree does not burgeon,
the vine bears no fruit,
the olive-crop fails,
the orchards yield no food,
the fold is bereft of its flock
and there are no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will exult in the Lord
and rejoice in the God of my deliverance.
The Lord God is my strength,
who makes my feet nimble as a hind's
and sets me to range the heights.

--Habakkuk 3:17-19, New English Bible

Prayer for Protection during the Night--Western Rite

O Angel of God, to whose holy care I am committed by the divine Mercy, enlighten, defend and protect me this night from all sin and danger. Amen.

Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive from it all the snares of the enemy. Let Thy holy Angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace; and may Thy blessing be upon us forever, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

God the Father, bless us; Jesus Christ, defend and keep us; the virtue of the Holy Ghost enlighten and sanctify us this night and forever; and may the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

Bless, O Lord, the repose I am going to take in order to renew my strength, that I may be better able to serve Thee. O all ye Saints and Angels, but chiefly thou, O Mother of God, intercede for me this night and during the rest of my life, but particularly at the hour of my death.

May the divine assistance remain always with us. Amen.

[from The Roman Missal, 1962]

I'm not sure about the antiquity of the whole set of prayers. "Visit, we beseech Thee" comes from the Benedictine Office, the collect for Compline. "May the divine assistance" is said at the end of each Office and is followed by the response: "And with our absent brethren" in the Benedictine Office. "God the Father, bless us" bears a resemblance to the first section of the Western Litany. I don't know about "Bless, O Lord" and "O Angel of God." Since they are a compilation and come from a later Roman Catholic missal, they could be of quite recent composition. Anyone who knows more is welcome to post comment, of course.

Vespers Hymn for Transfiguration

All ye who seek for Jesus, raise
your eyes above, and upward gaze:
there may ye see the wondrous sign
of never ending glory shine.

Behold Him in celestial rays
Who never knoweth end of days;
exalted, infinite, sublime;
older than heaven or hell or time.

This is the Gentiles' King and Lord;
the Prince by Judah's race adored,
promised to Abraham of yore
and to his seed forever more.

To him the prophets testify;
and that same witness, from on high,
the Father seals by his decree:
hear and believe my Son, saith He.

All glory, Lord, to Thee we pay,
transfigured on the Mount today;
Whom with the Father we adore,
and Holy Spirit evermore. Amen.

Quicunque Christum quaeritis
by Aurelius Prudentius (348-413)
tr. W.C. Dix
LM

(The Liber Usualis has a rather unmelodic tune for the hymn. If anyone has any ideas on making Gregorian chant more singable, let me know.)

A Real Thanksgiving Prayer

Worthy of praise from every mouth and thanksgiving from every tongue is the adorable and glorious name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Who created the world in His grace and its inhabitants in His loving-kindness, and redeemed the sons of men in his mercy, and dealt very graciously with mortals.

Thy majesty, O my Lord, a thousand thousand heavenly beings and myriad myriads of angels adore and the hosts of spiritual beings, the ministers of fire and of spirit, glorifying Thy name with the cherubim and the holy seraphim, ceaselessly crying out and glorifying and calling to one another saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty: the heavens and the earth are full of His glory. Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

And with these heavenly hosts we give Thee thanks, O my Lord, we also Thy unworthy, frail, and miserable servants, because Thou hast dealt very graciously with us in a way which cannot be repaid, in that Thou didst assume our humanity that Thou mightest restore us to life by Thy divinity, and didst exalt our low estate, and raise up our fallen state, and resurrect our mortality, and forgive our sins, and aquit our sinfulness, and enlighten our understanding, and, our Lord and God, overcome our adversaries, and give victory to the unworthiness of our frail nature in the overflowing mercies of Thy grace. And for all Thy benefits and graces towards us we offer Thee glory and honor and thanksgiving and adoration now and at all times and for ever and ever. Amen.

(From the Eucharistic prayer of the Eastern Syrian Liturgy of the Holy Apostles Addai and Mari.)

August 5: Western Orthodox Saints

Abel
+ c 751 Probably born in Ireland, he became Archbishop of Rheims in France. As his Cathedral was occupied by an intruder, he went to live at the monastery of Lobbes in Belgium.
Afra
+ c 304. A martyr who suffered in Augsburg in Germany, probably under Diocletian. She was venerated there from early times and the monastery of that city was dedicated to her.
Antherus
+ 236. A Greek who was Pope of Rome for only a few weeks. He may have been martyred and was buried in the catacomb of St Callistus, the first Pope to be so.
Cassian of Autun
+ c 350. Bishop of Autun in France, 314-350, he succeeded St Reticius and was famous for his miracles.
Emygdius (Emidius)
+ c 303. A saint whose relics were venerated in Ascoli in Italy.
Fabian
+ 250. Fabian succeeded St Antherus as Pope of Rome in 236 and was martyred in 250 under Decius. St Cyprian described him as an 'incomparable man' and added that the glory of his death matched the purity and goodness of his life.
Gormcal
+ 1016. Abbot of Ardoilen in Galway in Ireland.
Memmius (Menge, Meinge)
+ c 300. Founder and first Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne in France and Apostle of the region.
Oswald
604-642. The successor of St Edwin on the throne of Northumbria in England, he was baptized in exile on Iona. In 635 he defeated the Welsh King Cadwalla and so his real reign began. One of his main aims was to enlighten his country and so he called on St Aidan to help him. In 642 he fell in battle at Maserfield fighting against the champion of paganism, Penda of Mercia. He has always been venerated as a martyr and his head is still in St Cuthbert's coffin in Durham.
Paris
+ 346. Bishop of Teano near Naples in Italy.
23 Holy Martyrs of Rome
+ 303. Twenty-three martyrs on the Salarian Way in Rome under Diocletian.
Theodoric
+ 863. Bishop of Cambrai-Arras in the north of France c 830-863.
Venantius
+ 544. The most famous of the ancient bishops of Viviers in France.

August 4: Western Orthodox Saints

Agabius
c 250. An early Bishop of Verona in Italy.
Epiphanes and Isidore
Two early martyrs, venerated at the Cathedral of Besançon in France until the French Revolution.
Euphronius
530-573. Bishop of Tours in France. He worked hard to rebuild Tours after it had been burnt down.
Lua (Lugid, Molua)
c 554-609. Originally from Limerick in Ireland, he became a disciple of St Comgall and founded many monasteries. A great ascetic, he was of great tenderness to both man and beast.
Peregrinus, Maceratus and Viventius
6th cent. By tradition they were two Christian brothers who came from Spain and died in France, seeking to rescue their enslaved sister.
Perpetua
+ c 80. A matron from Rome baptized by the Apostle Peter who converted her husband and her son, St Nazarius. Her relics are enshrined in Milan and Cremona in Italy.
Protasius
A martyr honored in Cologne in Germany.
Sezni
+ c 529. Born in Britain, he went to Guic-Sezni in Brittany, where he founded a monastery and where his relics were venerated. He is the patron saint of Sithney in Cornwall.
Tertullinus
+ 257. A priest, martyred in Rome under Valerian two days after his ordination.

Prayer Rule to the Most Holy Mother of God with the Angelic Salutation

The following rule of prayer to the Mother of God comes from the book, "An Early Soviet Saint: The Life of Father Zachariah," translated from the Russian samizdat (unpublished, typewritten) manuscript by Jane Ellis, with some editing and adaptation on my part. Soon, Orthodoxtidings.com will have an integrated rule available, combining all three of the below forms, on the Orthodox Prayers page.

This rule is a very ancient form of prayer, not well known in the Orthodox world until St. Seraphim of Sarov's time, but practiced in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic West in various forms for centuries up until the present day.

Basically, it centers on saying the Angelic Salutation:
"Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb, Jesus, for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
The above is a combining of the Eastern and Western forms of the prayer.

The Salutation is said in decades, groups of ten. Usually 15 decades are prayed, but if time does not allow, the prayer can be prayed as many times as possible. A prayer rope makes a convenient companion for this rule. I have seen 150-knot prayer ropes in Russia, possibly used for this rule, but other lengths will work, too. It's most handy to have a rope divided into decades, because after each decade, various prayers are recited.

There's no one way, according to the book mentioned above, to pray after each decade. Here are some ways suggested in the book.

I. After each decade, say the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father...") and "Open unto us the door of your loving-kindness, O blessed Mother of God; so that hoping in you, we may not perish; but through you may be delivered from adversities, for you are the salvation of all Christian people."

II. The Rule can also be accompanied with various meditations on the life of the Mother of God, combined with prayers for people in various circumstances of life.
First decade: Let us remember the birth of the Mother of God–let us pray for mothers, fathers and children.
Second decade: Let us remember the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin and Mother of God–let us pray for those who have lost their way and fallen away from the church.
Third decade: Let us remember the Annunciation of the Blessed Mother of God–let us pray for the soothing of sorrows and the consolation of those who grieve.
Fourth decade: Let us remember the meeting of the Blessed Virgin with the righteous Elizabeth–let us pray for the reunion of the separated, for those whose dear ones or children are living away from them or missing.
Fifth decade: Let us remember the Birth of Christ–let us pray for the rebirth of souls, for new life in Christ.
Sixth decade: Let us remember the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, and the words uttered by St. Simeon: "Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also." Let us pray that the Mother of God will meet our souls at the hour of our death, and will contrive that we receive the Holy Mystery of Communion with our last breath, and will deliver our souls from the terrible torments.
Seventh decade: Let us remember the flight of the Mother of God with the God-child into Egypt. Let us pray that the Mother of God will help us avoid temptation in this life and deliver us from misfortunes.
Eighth decade: Let us remember the disappearance of the twelve-year-old boy Jesus in Jerusalem and the sorrow of the Mother of God on His account. Let us pray, begging the Mother of God for the constant repetition of the Jesus Prayer: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Ninth decade: Let us remember the miracle performed in Cana of Galilee, when the Lord turned water into wine at the words of the Mother of God, "They have no wine." Let us ask the Mother of God for help in our affairs and deliverance from need.
Tenth decade: Let us remember the Mother of God standing at the cross of the Lord, when grief pierced through her heart like a sword. Let us pray to the Mother of God for the strengthening of our souls and the banishment of despondency.
Eleventh decade: Let us remember the Resurrection of Christ and ask the Mother of God in prayer to resurrect our souls and give us a new courage for spiritual feats.
Twelfth decade: Let us remember the Ascension of Christ, at which the Mother of God was present. Let us pray and ask the Queen of Heaven to raise up our souls from earthly and worldly amusements and direct them to striving for higher things.
Thirteenth decade: Let us remember the Upper Room and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the Mother of God. Let us pray: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me."
Fourteenth decade: Let us remember the Falling Asleep (Repose, Dormition) of the Mother of God, and ask for a peaceful and serene end.
Fifteenth decade: Let us remember the glory of the Mother of God, with which the Lord crowned her after her removal from earth to heaven, and let us pray to the Queen of Heaven not to abandon the faithful who are on earth but to defend them from every evil, covering them with her honorable protecting veil.

III. With these remembrances, one can make the following prayers after each respective decade.
First decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, save and preserve your servants (names of parents, relatives and acquaintances), increase their faith and repentance, and when they die give them rest with the saints in your eternal glory."
Second decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, save and preserve and unite or re-unite to the Holy Orthodox Church your servants who have lost their path and fallen away, especially (names)."
Third decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, soothe our sorrows and send consolation to your servants who are grieving and ill, especially (names)."
Fourth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, unite your servants who are separated, especially (names)."
Fifth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, grant to us who have been baptized in Christ, to be clothed in Christ."
Sixth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, grant that I may receive the Holy Mystery of Communion with my last breath, and do you yourself deliver me from the terrible torments."
Seventh decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, deliver me from all temptations in this life and from misfortunes."
Eighth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, grant to me the unceasing Jesus Prayer."
Ninth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, help me in all my affairs and deliver me from every need and sorrow."
Tenth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, strengthen our souls and banish from us all despondency."
Eleventh decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, resurrect our souls and give us a new courage for spiritual feats."
Twelfth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, deliver me from worldly thoughts and give me a mind and heart striving towards the salvation of my soul."
Thirteenth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, through your intercessions, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Grant that your Son may not cast me away from His presence, nor take His Holy Spirit from me."
Fourteenth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, grant me a peaceful and serene end.
Fifteenth decade: "Our Lady, Blessed Mother of God, do not abandon the faithful who are yet on earth, but defend them from every evil, covering them with your honorable and protecting veil. Amen."

Matins Hymn for Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Quem terra, pontus, aethera
by St. Venantius Fortunatus (530-609)
tr. John Mason Neale
LM
(This hymn is also sung on Saturdays on which the Mother of God is commemorated.)

The Lord Whom earth and sea and sky
adore and praise and magnify,
who o'er their three-fold fabric reigns,
the Virgin's spotless womb contains.

And He Whose will is ever done
by moon and seas, by stars and sun,
is borne upon a maiden's breast,
whom God's foreseeing grace possessed.

How blest that Mother, in whose shrine
the very Word of God divine,
the maker of the earth and sky,
was pleased in fleshly form to lie.

Blest in the message Gabriel brought,
blest in the work the Spirit wrought,
blest evermore, who brought to birth
the long Desired of all the earth.

O Jesus, Virgin-born, to Thee
eternal praise and glory be,
Whom with the Father we adore
and Holy Spirit, evermore.
Amen.

New Addition to Website

Orthodoxtidings.com has just been updated. Check out the link for "Orthodox Saints" and go to the September Synaxarion. New saints have been added and the format has been edited so that it looks better and should be suitable for printing for your devotional needs. God willing, we will have the October Synaxarion up before the start of the month, but don't hold your breath. It's going to be a busy fall semester.

August 3: Western Orthodox Saints

You can find a complete listing of Orthodox Saints of the Latin West on the website, "Orthodox England."

Aspren (Aspronas)
1st cent. The tradition concerning this saint, dating from time immemorial, was recorded as follows: 'In Naples in Campania, the repose of St Aspren the bishop, who was healed of infirmity by St Peter the Apostle and was then baptized and consecrated bishop there'.

Benno
+ 940. Born in Swabia in Germany, he became a hermit on Mt Etzel in Switzerland, St Meinrad's former hermitage. He lived there with a few disciples, so founding the monastery of Einsiedeln. In 927 he became Bishop of Metz in France. Striving to overcome abuses, he was attacked and blinded by enemies of Christ. He resigned and returned to Einsiedeln.

Euphronius
+ c 475. Bishop of Autun in France and a friend of St Lupus of Troyes.

Faustus
5th cent. Faustus, the son of St Dalmatius of Pavia in Italy, lived the life of a holy monk.

Gregory of Nonantula
+ 933. Abbot of Nonantula near Modena in Italy.

Senach (Snach)
6th cent. A disciple of St Finian and his successor in Clonard in Ireland.

Trea
5th cent. Converted to Orthodoxy by St Patrick, she spent the rest of her life as an anchoress in Ardtree in Derry in Ireland.

Preparing for the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Soon, we will be in our third day of the fast which lasts for the two weeks before the feast of the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, on August 15.

This feast is one of my favorites. It is like Easter in summer--a time to celebrate, once again, the victory of life over death. It is a feast rich in meaning. On this the principle feast of the Mother of God, we recall her other appearances in sacred history. We remember the Annunciation, through which the Word became flesh in the womb of the Virgin and through which God came to dwell with us. We remember the Nativity of our Savior, the birthgiving of the Virgin, through which we were able to see God in the flesh, even with our own sin-blinded eyes. We remember the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple and the Wedding at Cana and how our Lord Jesus, even as a child, taught the elders in the Temple. We remember that Jesus' mother was with Him all during His life on this earth--from His birth in a manger to His suffering and death on the cross and His rising from the dead and ascension into heaven.

And even after this, the Mother of God did not disappear into obscurity, but was with the disciples when the Holy Spirit came down in tongues of fire. That she should take part in receiving the Spirit at Pentecost was only fitting, for the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her at the Annunciation to make her the Mother of God the Word. And even after Pentecost, her presence continued in the Church as she lovingly ministered to the Apostles and even traveled as a missionary.

It would seem totally ridiculous for someone so important in the life of the Church and in the history of our salvation to become of no consequence after her departure from this world. If we believe that others, whose works were of less importance in the overall scheme of things, are worthy of honor by faithful Christians on earth and of receiving a reward from God in heaven, it would be hypocritical of us not to honor zealously the Blessed Virgin Mary while we continue our earthly sojourn and not to believe that God has given His mother a fitting reward for all her labors.
Indeed, Christ's mother remains with her Son now in eternity just as she was with Him from His conception.

Therefore, since Christ our God has consistently (as befits God) honored His mother and His friends the saints, let us also honor them. Singing psalms is good, says the Prophet David, let us sing hymns to the Mother of God and all the saints and together with them let us glorify the Holy Trinity Who has given us such examples as friends and helpers on our path to heaven. Amen.

August 2: Western Orthodox Saints

Auspicius
At some time before the 4th century he became the first Bishop of Apt in France.

Betharius
+ c 623. Bishop of Chartres in France from 595. He was present at the Council of Sens.

Boetharius
+7th cent. Bishop of Chartres in France.

Etheldritha (Alfreda)
+ c 835. Daughter of King Offa of Mercia. She lived as an anchoress at Crowland in Lincolnshire in England after the murder of her betrothed, St Ethelbert.

Eusebius of Vercelli
c 283-371. Born in Sardinia, in 340, he became Bishop of Vercelli in Piedmont in Italy. He fought Arianism and was exiled to the East. Before returning to Italy he visited St Athanasius in Alexandria. He reposed in peace in Vercelli in 371, although he has been called a martyr on account of his sufferings.

Maximus of Padua
2nd cent. Successor of St Prosdocimus as Bishop of Padua in Italy.

Plegmund
+ 923. The tutor of King Alfred and twentieth Archbishop of Canterbury. Born in Cheshire (his hermitage at Plemstall, Plegmundstow, was named after him). He restored the Church in England after the Danish attacks and was a notable scholar.

Rutilius
+ 250. Born in North Africa. During the persecution of Decius he fled from place to place, but he was finally arrested, bravely confessed Christ and was martyred.

Sidwell (Sativola)
A Briton from the West of England near Exeter. She was beheaded as a martyr, probably by a scythe.

Stephen I
+ 257. He became Bishop of Rome in 254. Tradition says that he was beheaded during the celebration of the Eucharist in the catacombs, but the earliest liturgical documents present him as a bishop and confessor.

August 1: Western Orthodox Saints

Almedha (Eled, Elevetha)
6th cent. Tradition says that she suffered martyrdom on a hill near Brecon in Wales.
Arcadius
+ c 549. Bishop of Bourges in France, he took part in the Council of Orleans in 538.
Bonus, Faustus, Maurus and Companions
Bonus, a priest, with Faustus, Maurus and nine companions, was martyred in Rome under Valerian.
Ethelwold
912-984. Born in Winchester in England and already a monk and priest, in 955 he became Abbot of Abingdon and in 963 Bishop of Winchester. Together with St Dunstan and St Oswald of York he led the monastic revival of the age, restoring the monasteries of Newminster, Milton Abbas, Chertsey, Peterborough, Thorney and Ely to monastic life after occupation by married clergy. For this reason, he was called 'The Father of Monks'. The Winchester School of Illumination flourished under him, as did developments in music and liturgy.
Exuperius (Soupire, Spire)
c 4th cent. Bishop of Bayeux in France, he is honored in Corbeil.
Faith, Hope and Charity
c 137. The three girls, aged respectively twelve, ten and nine years, daughters of St Sophia who were martyred in Rome under Hadrian.
Friard and Secundel
+ c 577. Hermits on the Isle of Vindomitte near Nantes in France.
Jonatus
+ c 690. A monk at Elnone in Belgium. He was Abbot of Marchiennes (c 643-652) and then of Elnone (c 652-659).
Justin
+ c 290. A child-martyr venerated in Louvre near Paris in France.
Kenneth (Kined)
6th cent. A hermit who made his cell among the rocks in the Gower peninsula in Wales at a place later called Llangenydd after him.
Leus (Leo)
4th cent. A priest whose relics were honoured in Viguenza in Italy.
Mary the Consoler
8th cent. The sister of St Anno, Bishop of Verona in Italy.
Nemesius
A saint venerated near Lisieux in France.
Peregrinus
+ 643. A pilgrim from Ireland who returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land settled as a hermit near Modena in Italy.
Rioch
+ c 480. A nephew of St Patrick and Abbot of Innisboffin in Ireland.
Secundel
6th cent. A hermit who lived near St Friard near Nantes in France.
Severus
+ c 500. A priest of noble family, famous for his charity, he has been honoured from time immemorial in the village that bears his name, St Sever de Rustan in Bigorre in south-west France.
Verus
+ c 314. Bishop of Vienne in France. He attended the Council of Arles in 314.